Tuesday March 24, 4:23 pm Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: American Cyanamid Company
Field Trial Results Show Economics of Weed Control in Roundup Ready and Elite Soybeans
PARSIPPANY, N.J., March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- America's farmers could experience yield losses up to $43 per acre when choosing to use Monsanto's (NYSE: MTC - news) Roundup Ready(R)* soybean program. The yield differential is shown when growers plant Roundup Ready soybeans and rely on a single application of Monsanto's Roundup Ultra(TM)* herbicide, rather than use a residual control herbicide program or plant ``elite'' soybean varieties. These findings are based on a series of field trials conducted for American Cyanamid Company in 1997 by growers across U.S. soybean-producing regions and assume a soybean market price of $6.50 per bushel.
``These trials demonstrate that many growers are seeing a different economic picture than was anticipated from the Roundup Ready soybean program,'' says Howard Minigh, president, global agricultural products for American Cyanamid, the leader in the U.S. soybean herbicide market. Cyanamid's portfolio of soybean herbicides provides farmers season-long, residual control of weeds, protecting the crop from planting to harvest, and can be used on all soybean varieties.
``The grower trials confirm what we have been saying for years and what university researchers have already found: weed pressure in the first four weeks of the growing season negatively affects yields,'' Minigh adds. ``Roundup on Roundup Ready soybeans is one weed control option, but it is not the only solution for U.S. farmers. We believe growers should choose seed varieties that have the best all-around genetic package and then plan their weed control to optimize yields.''
Early-season residual weed control in Roundup Ready soybeans is not possible when based solely on Roundup Ultra, which may call for leaving weeds untreated for up to four-and-a-half weeks. During those crucial weeks, the field trials show, there can be significant yield loss as the soybeans compete with the vigorously growing weeds for light, water and nutrients. Residual control herbicides such as Cyanamid's IMI(TM) imidazolinone herbicides protect the crop against this early competition.
Large-Scale Field Trials Show Range of Yield Advantage with Residual
Control
Results from three different series of field trials totaling nearly 300 across the United States show that farmers will want to consider seed genetics and the best agronomic advice to fit their farming operation, soil conditions and weather.
The most significant difference in yields was seen in the trials that compared Roundup Ready soybeans to elite, i.e., superior, varieties, which are not tolerant to Roundup Ultra. In more than 100 comparisons on growers' fields, elite varieties treated with a Cyanamid imidazolinone product had a 20-percent average yield advantage over Roundup Ready soybean varieties that were treated with only a single application of Roundup Ultra. The fact that the Roundup Ready gene currently is not available in many top-yielding varieties could cost the grower at harvest about $43 per acre in yield loss, based on a soybean price of $6.50 per bushel.
Another 86 field trials showed that residual weed control programs based on a Cyanamid imidazolinone herbicide outyielded a single application of Roundup Ultra in identical Roundup Ready soybean varieties by an average of 18 percent, or 4.7 bushels per acre. These fields were weed-free from the start. That means choosing to plant Roundup Ready soybeans and following a standard Roundup Ready program could potentially cost soybean producers nearly $30 per acre in yield loss.
In the third series, Cyanamid's residual-based herbicide program on Roundup Ready soybeans followed by or tank-mixed with Roundup Ultra as needed outperformed the same soybean varieties grown with only a single application of Roundup Ultra by an average of 11.8 percent. This finding was based on 200 trials that were weed-free from the start.
``The importance of these findings cannot be overstated because of the impact on U.S. growers' profitability,'' says Stephen Briggs, who heads Cyanamid's field force of agronomy specialists. ``Without early-season residual control, the soybean crop does not have the ability to withstand the weed competition and produce to its maximum yield potential.''
Residual Weed Control Protects Crop and Profits
A soybean herbicide program with residual properties, such as Cyanamid's Squadron(R), Pursuit(R) Plus, Steel,(R) or Prowl(R) followed by Pursuit(R) herbicide, will control weeds that compete with the crop for nutrients, moisture and sunlight during the critical first few weeks of a plant's growth, Briggs adds. IMI(TM) herbicides will control weeds that are already growing, as well as those that have yet to emerge through the soil surface.
Conversely, a herbicide such as Roundup Ultra will only control those weeds that are actively growing above the soil surface. Since not all weeds germinate at the same time, weeds that emerge after the first treatment in a Roundup program must be resprayed, meaning multiple applications of Roundup and multiple trips across the field. This further reduces profit because of increased cost of additional herbicide, fuel and time spent treating the crop.
American Cyanamid is an early innovator in developing herbicide-tolerant crops, launching the first of these crops nearly six years ago. In 1992, it introduced IMI-CORN(R) hybrids, a nontransgenic biotechnology discovery that allows farmers to use imidazolinone herbicides on their corn. Through advanced plant breeding techniques and collaboration with seed industry partners, Cyanamid has now brought more than 200 IMI-CORN hybrids to farmers.
In 1997, LIGHTNING(R) herbicide was launched and applied to almost one million acres of IMI-CORN because of its outstanding performance in controlling weeds.
Cyanamid is working with universities and seed company partners to extend its imidazolinone tolerant technology to other crops. In Canada, canola farmers use ODYSSEY(TM) herbicide on SMART(TM) canola. Breeding programs and research and development are underway to expand the IMI herbicide-tolerant trait to other major agronomic crops, including wheat and rice.
Soybeans are naturally tolerant to many imidazolinone herbicides, which were introduced in 1985. This class of chemistry was discovered by Cyanamid scientist Dr. Marinus Los who was awarded the presidential National Medal of Technology in 1993 for his contribution to the protection and production of commercial crops. The IMI herbicides are especially notable for their low use rates and favorable environmental profile.
American Cyanamid Company is a subsidiary of American Home Products Corporation (AHP) (NYSE: AHP - news), which is one of the world's largest research- based pharmaceutical and health care products companies. AHP is a leader in the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications. It is also a global leader in vaccines, biotechnology, agricultural products and animal health care.
The statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties including those detailed from time to time in AHP's periodic reports, including quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and the annual report on Form 10-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ from the forward-looking statements.
Always read and follow label directions.
- (R)/(TM) Trademarks, American Cyanamid Company (C)1998.
- Roundup Ready(R) and Roundup Ultra(TM) are trademarks of Monsanto Company
SOURCE: American Cyanamid Company
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